Anor Dedicates Performance To Venezuela

Friday

Mar 28, 2014 at 12:01 AMMar 28, 2014 at 2:52 PM

As you (hopefully) read in today's paper, last weekend's performance was an emotional one for Bernardo Anor.

As you (hopefully) read in today’s paper, last weekend’s performance was an emotional one for Bernardo Anor. In a game dedicated to those suffering in his native Venezuela, Anor produced the first two-goal game of his Crew career in a 2-1 win against Philadelphia in the team’s home opener.

After the win, Anor posted this photo on Twitter with his teammates and the Venezuelan flag inside the Crew’s locker room.

“It means a lot,” Anor said Wednesday after training at the team’s facility in Obetz. “Carrying the flag with me, I wanted to dedicate that game to all those people back home and I’m glad that it came out well for the team and we got to take that picture in the locker room with the flag.”

Thankfully, Anor said his family and friends are unharmed. As he remains in Columbus, Anor said social media helps him feel connected to everyone back in Venezuela.

“It is pretty tough having all the people, my family and my friends, the people that I care about the most, struggling on a daily basis,” he said. “You never know who can look at it. As much as we spread the word out, more people recognize and more people are aware of the situation and maybe we’ll start getting some help.”

Team captain Michael Parkhurst left Major League Soccer in 2008 and played in Denmark and Holland until joining the Crew during the offseason. As a native of Providence, R.I., he was overseas during the Boston Marathon bombings last year.

“When it’s your own country, you just feel like, ‘Oh, man,’ ” Parkhurst said. “It’s not like I could’ve done anything had I been there but you want to show your support and let them know you’re there for them. We’re all people first and we look out for each other. You hope that things like that don’t happen and things like that can get settled. We were just out there supporting (Anor)."

Crew coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter was playing for Crystal Palace F.C. during the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. One day later, he started and played 60 minutes in a Football League Cup win against Everton.

As Berhalter discussed what Anor must be going through, the midfielder was on a nearby field practicing free kicks with just one member of the staff watching.

“This is a guy who right now is practicing free kicks,” Berhalter said. “He was out early this morning training on his own. This is a guy that you want nothing but the best for because he’s a great individual and he’s a hard worker.”

Anor said that his family has urged him to remain here, working on his game.

“This is my job and I’ve got to be responsible,” he said. “I’ve talked to my dad and my mom every day just to keep up with them. Obviously they don’t want me to be in a situation like that. Obviously I would love to be with them, but they understand the situation. They understand it’s not fair, but at the same time they’re trying to stay as positive and avoid things where you can get yourself in trouble. Support in the way that you can.”